UPDATE: I took the advice from this thread and managed to get through to someone at FSA using that callback service someone mentioned. The agent was actually super helpful and confirmed there was an error in how my dependency override was processed. They're expediting a correction and said it should be updated in 5-7 business days. \n\nI also went to my school's financial aid office in person (thanks for that suggestion) and they issued me a temporary housing authorization while we wait for the SAI recalculation. Apparently lots of students are having similar issues this year.\n\nThanks everyone for the help! Still ridiculous it took 5 months for an email response though.

Great to hear! Make sure to follow up if you don't see the correction in 7 days - sometimes you need to keep pushing. And for anyone else reading this thread with dependency override issues, remember that you need to resubmit your override documentation each year. The override doesn't automatically carry forward, even though many other FAFSA elements now do.

I just want to share another dimension to this. My wife is from South Korea, and while we file taxes jointly, some of her foreign accounts aren't technically reportable on US taxes due to certain thresholds. HOWEVER, all assets regardless of location or tax reporting status must be included on the FAFSA. We learned this the hard way when our son's university financial aid office verified our FAFSA and requested documentation for all assets. So definitely include everything!

Thank you everyone for your help! I went back and edited my contributor section to include ALL our household assets, including my husband's EU accounts (converted to USD with today's exchange rate). The form is now reprocessing, and my daughter should get her updated SAI score within 3-5 business days according to the confirmation message. This forum saved us from what could have been a major issue later on!

Just a heads up - make sure you check the "Communication Center" section of your FAFSA account weekly. That's where they'll notify you if they need any verification documents. About 30% of FAFSA filers get selected for verification, and if you miss those notifications, your aid could be delayed. The most annoying part of the new FAFSA system is how they hide important information in different places. And congrats on the -$1500 SAI - that typically qualifies for maximum Pell Grant eligibility!

One more thing - now that your FAFSA is processed, you should start checking your actual college portals/accounts at each school. Many schools will post additional financial aid requirements there rather than through the FAFSA system. Some might require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA (mostly private colleges), and others might have institution-specific forms. Financial aid packages typically start coming out in March-April for the 2025-2026 year.

wat about her getting a part time job at school? my kid works 20 hrs a week in the cafeteria and gets like 7,000 a year plus free meals when shes working. might help close the gap?

After seeing your responses, I think you should definitely pursue multiple options simultaneously. Apply for both private loans AND the Parent PLUS loan right away. With your credit score around 680 and some recent late payments, you might face challenges with private lenders. If you get approved for both, you can always decline one. But if you're denied for private loans, you'll already have the PLUS loan process underway. Also, absolutely contact the financial aid office about payment plans and emergency funding options. One other suggestion - check if your state has any last-minute grant programs or if there are professional organizations related to your daughter's major that offer emergency scholarships. Sometimes there are niche funding sources that aren't widely advertised.

Has your husband checked with the financial aid office at the school he's applying to? Sometimes they can see more information than we can on our accounts. My daughter's SAI wasn't showing online but when she called her school, they could see it in their system already!

UPDATE: Problem solved! I wanted to post our solution in case anyone else runs into this. We called the university financial aid office and they said they could see his SAI in their system. Apparently there's a glitch with some accounts where the SAI is being calculated but not displayed to students on studentaid.gov. The financial aid officer gave us the number and said this has been happening to quite a few people. Thanks everyone for your help!